Marine Crab Diversity
Major projects | Further readings
The marine crab research is picking up momentum.
Favus granulatus, a rare leucosiid crab known only from Singapore thus far.
The fauna for
the Indo-West Pacific is very high and perhaps up to 1000 species may occur in Southeast
and East Asia. Even in Singapore, some 400 species are known.
Many species are of substantial economic significance in fisheries, medicine and ecology. There is a need to identify potential food crabs, bio-indicators and endangered species.
The blue land crab (left), Cardisoma hirtipes, a common and edible (right, after
being cooked) species on Palau.
Many crab species are habitat specific and thus excellent bio-indicators of habitat health and environmental degradation especially coral reefs and mangroves. There is also a urgent need to establish a working list of marine crabs from Southeast Asia by determining the current synonymy of each species, to confirm the identities of each species and evaluate the taxonomy of dubious and poorly known species through modern taxonomic approaches etc.
Two colour morphs of the poisonous crab Lophozozymus pictor (Xanthidae).
Good and concise illustrated guides on crab fauna are absolutely necessary for conservation and management of marine protected areas. Within the region, some funding has been received for studies of the marine crab fauna of Southeast Asia, and two graduate students have started work on selected groups. Two groups focused on are the Varuninae (Grapsidae) and Parthenopidae.
Work is ongoing currently as well to increase the marine crab collections in the museum, especially for groups not yet represented.
Through very active collaborations with the many crab taxonomists in Taiwan, much has been done to sort out the fauna from the island as well. At the moment a major project, sponsored by the Taiwan Museum, (Left: Green Mitten Crab, Eriocheir formosa)
is the completion of a working list of crabs of Taiwan, as well as the publication of the crab catalogue in the collection.
Recently, work has also started on the deep water crab fauna of Palau, including obtaining more specimens of the recently described Chaceon micronesicus(left) (by Peter Ng and Ray Manning).
Below are photos of some crabs common to this region:
The mangrove sesarmine, Episesarma (Grapsidae), is very common in regional
mangroves.
The crinoid crab, Harrovia albolineata (Eumedonidae), is a common commensal
of featherstars.
The common buckler crab, Cryptopodia fornicata (Parthenopidae), of Southeast Asia.
The horned caltrop crab, Pseudolambrus bicornis (Parthenopidae), from Singapore.
The heaviest and one of the largest crabs in the world, Pseudocarcinus gigas, from
Australia, carried by the lab's smallest student.
Palau deep water fishing boat.
- Freshwater Crab Diversity
- Freshwater Prawn Diversity
- Marine Crab Diversity
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